mass lily die off?

[addy1]

Purple pickerel rush.................

 

[marla]

Question did this lily come already potted?
first looks like a Hardy by the pads.
water lilies are suseptible to crown rot and root rot...some more so then others a few common ones are Attraction, Alba, Chromatella. If this was an already potted lily I would remove it from the pond, because if it is either of these the fungas could spread.
Carefully remove the tuber from the pot it is in, and gently rinse it..inspect it for any rotting parts (they will be soft) on the tuber and rotting roots, they will be soft and black not a nice white. remove all rotted areas and or roots if there are any and all pads and stems with black/brown rot. Then dip the tuber either in a PP solution or eaisier and most people have it, a light bleach solution...10% or less. This will kill any bugs or fungas...now rinse again very good in water. Next replant using new heavy dirt (toss the old dirt, clean the pot good..use a bleach solution on it also and rinse well) not burrying the tuber, put it in at an angle with the crown end and stems out of the dirt a good inch or top with some pea gravel, place it in its own container of water to let the dirt settle. Keep an eye on it to see if new pads are doing well and return it to the pond.

 

[fishin4cars]

The plant with the purple flower is a Thalia, And it doesn't look right, as for the lily, I've never seen anything like that and I have to wonder what the water tests read. PH, KH, GH and salt level. Marla I think can help you on the lily more than myself but it appears that the leaves are almost burning or have gotten frost. The Thalia will die back once ice hits it. Clip it back and and lower it below the level of any ice that may form. You may need to divide it for the next growing season. Looking at the pics has me wondering though if you may have a water condition thatcould be causing that.

 

[j.w]

Looks like Pickeral Rush to me too

 

[j.w]

Then again it could be Thalia........hmmmmmmmmmmmmm :twisted:

 

[j.w]

Yep after looking closer it's Thalia :twisted:

 

[addy1]

good info marla, will remember that if my hardies begin to look yucky, right now they are just making leaves.

 

[marla]

Totaly missed the picture of the Thalia...mine does this sometimes in the summer...could be burnt....I know I don't use salt, but I do have very high ph, normaly 8.5-8.8 I also have very high KH and GH not sure maybe that is an issue for me also.
YW addy1, yep if they are planted to deep the pads will yellow then blacken and rot and the rhizome/tuber will rot away. Best to always not plant to deep or cover the crown with dirt or pea gravel.

 

[addy1]

Planted too deep ie in the pea gravel / clay? Not too deep ie water correct?

 

[Joshi83]

Thanks Marla.
I'll be going out tomorrow to buy new water testing kits for everything as iv run out so can't test the water condition, I'm hoping it is a water quality issue, I think that would be easiest to resolve.
I think this may be why the Thalia (thanks for the ID) is looking sick too. Makes sense.

The lilies were bought potted from a very respected local nursery, so I would hope it doesn't have a fungus problem.

 

[marla]

Planted too deep ie in the pea gravel / clay? Not too deep ie water correct?

yes planted to deep in the planting medium. You need to leave the crown above the planting medium. Most lilies can take up to 24" of water above them they may not be as prolific but they should not die off.

Joshi83...Did you ever call the nursery where it was purchased or take them a picture? Yes water quality would be easier to resolve...if you are using salt I will say most lilies will not tolerate large amounts, even at small amounts growth will not be good. Also floating plants will die off with salt.
Even if something comes from a reputable nursery disease can still happen...all it takes is the right conditions...the rhizome may have settled in the dirt a bit, and the different water and light conditions in your pond put stress on plants as it will on fish...leaving opertunistic bacterias to attack.
Best of luck....hope it is the easy way for you.

 

[Joshi83]

No salt in the pond.
Haven't contacted the nursery as it's only just happened.
Will test the water tomorrow to see if there's anything up there, and then if not will contact the nursery.
The rhizome is on the top and side of the pot, sticks out about 2inchs and looks what I think is healthy there, but will have a dig around and look at it's roots if all else fails.

 

[marla]

Joshi83, well that sounds promising...I'm not an expert, have lost a few to rot though....Check with the nursery, may be a colder weather thing or natural pad die off look for your area that is different from here....Let us know what you find out, learning is all part of the hobby and I don't feel any of us should stop learning or listening there is always the new out there.

 

[Joshi83]

Very true, this is the first pond iv ever had and there is so much more to all this than I ever imagined, so the learning curve is an interesting one.
Always learning...

 

[addy1]

keeps the brain young joshi all this learning